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Credit: @WDWDreamfinderDisney has been quickly removing and tearing apart the beloved attraction as it works on the major retheme.
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While the Walt Disney World Resort is home to so many incredible rides and attractions, many fans would call Splash Mountain its best. Sure, Space Mountain, “it’s a small world,” Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror are all great, but Splash Mountain seemed to really resonate among Guests as they took the plunge over the last few decades.
Disney eventually decided to permanently close both Walt Disney World and Disneyland’s versions of the ride to retheme it to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new attraction centered on Disney’s 2009 film Princess and the Frog.
This new ride is set to open sometime in 2024 at Walt Disney World, with no date set for Disneyland’s version. Tokyo Disneyland’s version of Splash Mountain will stay the same for the foreseeable future.
This decision came after years of backlash and criticism against Disney for highlighting such a problematic film through Splash Mountain. For those who don’t know, the theming, characters, and music featured on Splash Mountain originate in a 1946 Disney film called Song of the South.
The film was technically impressive, mixing live action with animation, similar to Mary Poppins (1964). However, Song of the South is considered highly problematic and very racist for depicting African Americans in the reconstruction-era south.
Disney even opted to remove the iconic “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” song from a parade at Disneyland, signaling that there won’t be anything left of Splash Mountain very soon.
Related: Demolition Underway at Universal Studios, Multiple Attractions Closed
Recently, new construction photos were shared by WDWDreamfinder (@WDWDreamfinder) on Twitter. The photos reveal that along with the ride being completely drained, a lot of props and elements have been removed. Take a look at the new photos of the construction:
What remains of the briar patch
What remains of the briar patch pic.twitter.com/w9eKFqqUa7
— WDWDreamfinder (@WDWDreamfinder) February 26, 2023
Signage has been removed from the stand-by entrance as well as the barn entrance.
Signage has been removed from the stand-by entrance as well as the barn entrance. pic.twitter.com/UvNayyjOt9
— WDWDreamfinder (@WDWDreamfinder) February 24, 2023
More theme elements removed from Splash. The briars and water wheel have been taken down. (From 4KWDW)
More theme elements removed from Splash. The briars and water wheel have been taken down. (From 4KWDW) pic.twitter.com/iVQuLBnRMx
— WDWDreamfinder (@WDWDreamfinder) February 24, 2023
As you can see, many elements have already been ripped from the ride as Disney gets to work on the retheme. At last year’s D23 Expo, Disney shared a model of the exterior of the new ride, which you can see down below:
As we stated earlier, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open sometime in 2024 in Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Are you excited about this retheme? Will you miss Splash Mountain? Let Inside the Magic know.